Hamas confirms death of military wing's leader

GAZA, Palestine

The Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, announced Thursday that its military chief, Mohammed Deif, was killed by the Israeli army in the Gaza Strip.

In a statement, Abu Obeida, spokesperson for the brigades, also confirmed that Marwan Issa, Al-Qassam's deputy chief of staff, had been killed.

"The enemy has assassinated two of our great leaders, but their legacy and resistance will continue," Obeida said.

He added that the assassination of Hamas military leaders will not stop the Palestinian resistance against Israel.

No additional details were provided.

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On Aug. 1, 2024, Israel's military claimed that it had killed Deif in an airstrike in southern Gaza's Khan Younis. Israel has accused Deif of being one of the masterminds of the Hamas attack on southern Israeli towns on Oct. 7, 2023.

Israel says Deif was one of the figures responsible for planning the 7 October attacks in southern Israel in which 1,200 people were killed and 251 taken hostage.

Deif was widely seen as the second-ranking Hamas official in Gaza, behind Yahya Sinwar, the group's leader in the territory, who was also killed by Israeli forces last year.

Judges at the International Criminal Court (ICC) last year issued an arrest warrant for Deif, alongside Israel's PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant.

Deif was known to have helped engineer the construction of tunnels that have allowed Hamas fighters to enter Israel from Gaza. He was also credited with designing Hamas's signature weapon, the Qassam rocket.

In its statement on Thursday, Hamas also announced the death of deputy military commander Marwan Issa.